The invention relates to a stripping tool, to remove the coating from buffered optical fiber, as an aid for good splicing or for other connection to a given optical communication link.
Recently, a new type of communication cable, utilizing optical fibers, has entered and is finding a place in the communication network of America. These new cables consist of a plurality of optical fibers and are destined for rapidly expanding general use. The communication channels of the past have relied upon metal pairs of conductors within the cable. The new communication channels of the future are made up of optical fibers within a given cable design. Whatever the nature of the cable design, there must be provision for individually stripping, i.e., removing protective coating from, either metallic wire or optical fiber. It is essential to a good splice at the end of a given length of cable or for the proper termination of the cable to its corresponding equipment that either the wire or optical fiber be properly prepared. Improper stripping of either will result in poor connections, excessive future maintenance, or immediate network failure, by reason of broken wire or fiber. This adds significantly to the overall cost of a system by prolonging installation time and overall maintenance cost.
In wire communication practice, it is conventional to use a standard wire-stripping tool to remove plastic insulation from the wire. However, when dealing with optical fibers, the brittle nature of glass fibers and the excellent adhesion of the protective plastic or buffer to the fiber precludes adoption of conventional wire-stripping techniques. The buffered (coated) optical fiber does not lend itself to the stripping practices of the wire-communication industry. Individual optical fibers cannot be stripped with any degree of reliablity and safety using a pocket knife, scissors, wire strippers or sandpaper. The coated glass filaments simply cannot withstand such rough handling. If the surface of a fine glass filament (typically 0.005 inch in diameter) is scratched or scored in any way, a weak point develops and the fiber is susceptible to breakage at that point when later flexed or handled. The glass fiber has the same properties as a window pane or glass rod. To cut, first score the glass (rod or plate) using a tool, and then apply pressure in the proper direction to cause the score to propagate and the glass to break. The same principle applies to fracture of an optical glass fiber, and the force required to cause damaged glass fibers to fracture is low. Consequently, there is need for a device which can easily remove the fiber coatings and yet not damage the filament.